BLOGPOST #6: Tourist vs. Travelers

One day I was asked if I'm in fact a traveler or a tourist? My first reaction was I asked myself if there is actually a difference between the two. A tourist, via definition, is somewhat similar to a traveler. But the connotation of a traveler, to me, implies a deeper intent than a tourist. Someone who's wearing shorts with patterns, Hawaiian t-shirts, and white socks with sandals personifies a tourist, at least from what I see in movies. The tourist might be someone who gets the basics down, see some sights, take a few pictures, and go home, experiencing only the surface of a country; basically what I picture an australian would be like. A traveler goes deeper. A traveler explores the culture, the people, the traditions, the food, the lifestyles and inner workings of a country. A traveler gets more involved.

My perception, however, isn't far from the research I gathered. An article entitled "Difference Between a Traveler and a Tourist" from www.differencebetween.net, states that travelers are those persons who travel or go from one place to the other. In some cases, they simply pass through a location. Tourists on the other hand come to a place in order to see the sights and listen to the sounds of their destinations. They almost always look forward to the inherent attractions present within a particular area. With regard to the specifics, there are lots of differences between the two. In general, travelers carry a towel for their travels unlike tourists who don’t carry any because they have it inside their hotels anyway. A reading light is important for travelers because they still find time to read amidst traveling. Tourists almost have no time to do other less significant things because they consider their trip as a tour "a once in a lifetime opportunity". Another obvious characteristic of travelers stated in the article is that they do not shop or buy many items from their foreign destination. If they arrived in a country bringing one bag, most likely they’ll end up leaving from that country still with a single bag. Tourists love to shop so if they arrived with only one bag, they are expected to come home bringing lots of bags or goodies. Moreover, travelers are risk takers. They buy a one-way ticket compared to tourists who make sure they get home by buying a round trip ticket, not just for land trips but also for their flights. Similarly, travelers want to explore new locations; that’s why they seldom or rarely take the same path in going back home. With regard to communication, travelers are not readily seen carrying mobile phones. They just want to enjoy their travels. But for tourists, they want to have the greatest assurance for safety that’s why they need to bring with them their cellphones so that they can communicate with somebody else when the case so desires.

"Travelers just come and go from one place to the other while tourists love to pay attention to the sights and sounds of the places they are going to." that article states.

Sometimes I think these stereotypes are what makes people in my generation thrive on labeling themselves “travelers,” and are more preoccupied with not looking like a tourist than actually enjoying the place/people! I feel like being a tourist has been spoiled by a few bad apples, while travelers have been over-romanticized.

An article entitled "Why I Hate The Traveler vs. Tourist Argument" by Caroline Eaton from www.traveling9to5.com, the author states that in order to be good ‘traveler’ we are supposed to leave our stereotypes and preconceived opinions at home. All this traveler vs tourist debate does is bring out the worst stereotypes about traveling, which is a great education for anyone no matter how you travel. According to her, the point of travel is to explore and experience, meet new people and be open to changing your perspective. We are all different people with unique preferences, it only makes sense that we will all travel in different ways. While one person can argue that if your entire vacation is spent at a resort or with a group tour, then you aren’t a true traveler… just a tourist. I would argue, we are all travelers and all tourists. We are all visiting new cities and our individual preferences take us in different directions.The adventurous stories that travelers tell, I think are personality-driven and may not interest someone else – not making you less of a traveler, but a different type of traveler with a different style.

"To look down on the ‘tourist’ is to be a travel snob. The vaste majority of people who travel cannot adopt a long term travel style that allows them to travel slow and immerse themselves in the culture." states the author.

Whatever we want to call ourselves – or others – what’s more important than what we call ourselves is how we travel, how we experience a place and its people, how much we get out of that experience, and how much we give back. I see more value in focusing less on ourselves and our own identities and more on the world and the culture and people around us.